Hired: Tim Murray, GM and Craig Patrick, Advisor

[beerme1]

Also mentioned on the radio by Murray was that someone was spreading lies about him. Said something along the lines of Pat asking him about some incident that occurred in PEI.

He told Pat that never happened. I wonder if it was Benning in an act of desperation and Pat called him on it and let that window close on him. Guys on WGR keep speculating that keeping Nolan my have been the sticking point with him. I wonder if it was him planting lies and getting caught in it. Regardless, I am far happier with Murray as the choice than Benning.

[Kristian]

Do you actually believe there's a market for either?

 

There is. It's called Rochester :wallbash:

[IKnowPhysics]

Wasn't it a new era when Pegula arrived? How many new eras can we handle around here?

 

Well, the New Era factory isn't far away.

[Hoss]

There is. It's called Rochester :wallbash:

 

You're not paying guys $4 mill plus to play in Rochester. Especially not when, no matter how hated they are, you don't have legitimate options to play over them.

 

My bad for not realizing that. Still don't think they buy him out.

 

I think they do, and then they'll likely sign multiple vets to one or two year deals to make up for that money.

[Ghost of Dwight Drane]

I think Pegula and his "flat" management structure may actually prove itself worthy with this crew.

 

There is now almost a perfect set of checks and balances with all the key players. The key is, I think everyone just hired, commands respect. Patty, Nolan, Patrick, Murray. When you throw in the supporting group of Black, Battista, and Pegula himself...there is the right experience, personality combo, and available workload to make the entire structure work. I was concerned about too many chefs at first, but it is almost as if every single member of management lacks at least one key component to form the perfect head guy, yet the new guys each have many positive qualities. Everyone can have some overlapping, and as long as there is mutual respect, which I feel there is, this could be a great thing. The only person on the bubble is Devine. I have a feeling Murray will lean on him early, but eventually want his own guy in that ro

 

I think Pegula and his "flat" management structure may actually prove itself worthy with this crew.

 

There is now almost a perfect set of checks and balances with all the key players. The key is, I think everyone just hired, commands respect. Patty, Nolan, Patrick, Murray. When you throw in the supporting group of Black, Battista, and Pegula himself...there is the right experience, personality combo, and available workload to make the entire structure work. I was concerned about too many chefs at first, but it is almost as if every single member of management lacks at least one key component to form the perfect head guy, yet the new guys each have many positive qualities. Everyone can have some overlapping, and as long as there is mutual respect, which I feel there is, this could be a great thing. The only person on the bubble is Devine. I have a feeling Murray will lean on him early, but eventually want his own guy in that role. I like Devine though and I hope he fits in if he can handle a support role.

 

The biggest friction point can be Nolan and Murray. There is going to be a feeling out process. I see Nolan as a guy who values paying your dues and hustle over pure talent. Murray seems like he knows what goes into a balanced team, but may be more forgiving of pure talent than Nolan. The roster decisions will be interesting going forward if they stick together. It could be a strongsuit, or a problem.

 

Pegula and his potential "meddling" has now been checked. Battista coming in was indeed the signal changes were imminent. Battista has been able to go along with Patty and be a nice liaison to report to Pegula without Patty getting bothered. I don't think Murray will have much patience for meddling. That's where Patty's charm can step in between Murray and Pegula and keep things cordial. With Battista learning from/with Patty, he can help with just a few.."It's all good boss"'s.

 

Patty has rendered Black to a bit of a back seat in the public face, but this can let him concentrate on more of the game experience and some of the Harborcentre stuff instead of having to tapdance all the time.

 

I see Patrick as more of an observer. More like a tenured university professor who lets his grad students do most of the work but can prevent them from stepping on landmines. He can also maybe slow down a manic process when you have decisive guys wanting to make moves. I don't see Murray as a loose cannon, but it's good to have a respected guy to maybe say, "hang on a second", to at least allow everyone to breathe.

 

I think the team that is built will also be a checks and balance for the fans. I can't see a total bonecrushing team fielded, or a soft team fielded. The talent vs. grit debate will probably be soothed down the middle...but I am encouraged that the first things out of Nolan's Patty's and Murray's mouths were about knowing the person, and character, and makeup. That is what has me trusting this group right now and will allow for the proper timeframe and patience as they improve.

 

In reality, you are still picking top 3 this year. Next year...if the culture change has really taken hold, you could be a fringe playoff team. I think the UFA's will probably be moved. A guy like Ott will get overvalued at the deadline. I can then see them trading for a RFA aged forward or 2 over the offseason with some of their assets....adding a couple $2-4 million vets in FA to help guide....ease the young kids in over the next 2 years....then make a go for it in FA in '15-'16 with a fairly young but high quality talented team that can hopefully be a contender for the next 3+ years.

 

I also think that nothing is set in stone, and this group at the top is fluid enough to change moves accordingly if progress is faster than expected or hindered.

 

Nothing new here...just sorting it out in my head and stamping my approval....

[tom webster]

I think Pegula and his "flat" management structure may actually prove itself worthy with this crew.

 

There is now almost a perfect set of checks and balances with all the key players. The key is, I think everyone just hired, commands respect. Patty, Nolan, Patrick, Murray. When you throw in the supporting group of Black, Battista, and Pegula himself...there is the right experience, personality combo, and available workload to make the entire structure work. I was concerned about too many chefs at first, but it is almost as if every single member of management lacks at least one key component to form the perfect head guy, yet the new guys each have many positive qualities. Everyone can have some overlapping, and as long as there is mutual respect, which I feel there is, this could be a great thing. The only person on the bubble is Devine. I have a feeling Murray will lean on him early, but eventually want his own guy in that ro

 

I think Pegula and his "flat" management structure may actually prove itself worthy with this crew.

 

There is now almost a perfect set of checks and balances with all the key players. The key is, I think everyone just hired, commands respect. Patty, Nolan, Patrick, Murray. When you throw in the supporting group of Black, Battista, and Pegula himself...there is the right experience, personality combo, and available workload to make the entire structure work. I was concerned about too many chefs at first, but it is almost as if every single member of management lacks at least one key component to form the perfect head guy, yet the new guys each have many positive qualities. Everyone can have some overlapping, and as long as there is mutual respect, which I feel there is, this could be a great thing. The only person on the bubble is Devine. I have a feeling Murray will lean on him early, but eventually want his own guy in that role. I like Devine though and I hope he fits in if he can handle a support role.

 

The biggest friction point can be Nolan and Murray. There is going to be a feeling out process. I see Nolan as a guy who values paying your dues and hustle over pure talent. Murray seems like he knows what goes into a balanced team, but may be more forgiving of pure talent than Nolan. The roster decisions will be interesting going forward if they stick together. It could be a strongsuit, or a problem.

 

Pegula and his potential "meddling" has now been checked. Battista coming in was indeed the signal changes were imminent. Battista has been able to go along with Patty and be a nice liaison to report to Pegula without Patty getting bothered. I don't think Murray will have much patience for meddling. That's where Patty's charm can step in between Murray and Pegula and keep things cordial. With Battista learning from/with Patty, he can help with just a few.."It's all good boss"'s.

 

Patty has rendered Black to a bit of a back seat in the public face, but this can let him concentrate on more of the game experience and some of the Harborcentre stuff instead of having to tapdance all the time.

 

I see Patrick as more of an observer. More like a tenured university professor who lets his grad students do most of the work but can prevent them from stepping on landmines. He can also maybe slow down a manic process when you have decisive guys wanting to make moves. I don't see Murray as a loose cannon, but it's good to have a respected guy to maybe say, "hang on a second", to at least allow everyone to breathe.

 

I think the team that is built will also be a checks and balance for the fans. I can't see a total bonecrushing team fielded, or a soft team fielded. The talent vs. grit debate will probably be soothed down the middle...but I am encouraged that the first things out of Nolan's Patty's and Murray's mouths were about knowing the person, and character, and makeup. That is what has me trusting this group right now and will allow for the proper timeframe and patience as they improve.

 

In reality, you are still picking top 3 this year. Next year...if the culture change has really taken hold, you could be a fringe playoff team. I think the UFA's will probably be moved. A guy like Ott will get overvalued at the deadline. I can then see them trading for a RFA aged forward or 2 over the offseason with some of their assets....adding a couple $2-4 million vets in FA to help guide....ease the young kids in over the next 2 years....then make a go for it in FA in '15-'16 with a fairly young but high quality talented team that can hopefully be a contender for the next 3+ years.

 

I also think that nothing is set in stone, and this group at the top is fluid enough to change moves accordingly if progress is faster than expected or hindered.

 

Nothing new here...just sorting it out ine my head and stamping my approval....

 

And you did it without throwing any stones at the past. I can say that we are almost in complete agreement as well for whatever that's worth.

I do think Devine is gone after the draft and Teddy coaches another year. After that, who knows .

[nfreeman]

For the first time that I can remember, you and I are have a "disconnect." The original poster's point was that when it comes to TV ratings for nationally televised games, the WNY market share is usually in the top 5 and always in the top 10 whether Buffalo is playing or not. He deduced that the NHL would have a financial reason to take care of a market that was watching their games as much as WNY. The point I was making that was backed up by AUD was that while this is true as far as market share goes, most advertisers would rather have a smaller share in a bigger, more affluent market then have a 50% share in WNY.

The attached link is an indication of WNY's love of hockey

 

http://sports.yahoo....-232902128.html

 

It's certainly quite possible that I misinterpreted the OP. I guess I just don't see what incentive the NHL would have to rig the lottery to benefit the WNY market, since (i) it already gets great TV ratings in WNY and (ii) adding a great player to the Sabres is unlikely to juice NHL TV ratings in non-WNY markets (unlike, say, rigging the lottery to benefit, say, the Rangers -- where presumably both NYC and national ratings would benefit).

 

Anyway, I think we've beaten this horse to death at this point.

[nobody]

It will be too bad if Kevin Devine is let go. I think he has done a good job; especially since becoming the AGM.

[tom webster]

 

 

It's certainly quite possible that I misinterpreted the OP. I guess I just don't see what incentive the NHL would have to rig the lottery to benefit the WNY market, since (i) it already gets great TV ratings in WNY and (ii) adding a great player to the Sabres is unlikely to juice NHL TV ratings in non-WNY markets (unlike, say, rigging the lottery to benefit, say, the Rangers -- where presumably both NYC and national ratings would benefit).

 

Anyway, I think we've beaten this horse to death at this point.

 

For the record, I don't think there is anything to suggest that the NHL would have any incentive to fix anything either. Just pointing out that the OP was correct about the TV ratings . Carry on .

[PASabreFan]

Am I misreading this, or is your premise that if it doesn't work out with Murray and Patrick I should post a message when they're replaced that I was wrong back in January of 2014 for being excited about the direction the franchise was taking?

 

No. Nor should you ask anyone who's not excited about the moves to be excited. There are good arguments on both sides. I am reasonably confident that a very solid management team is in place and that things will be looking up, especially if Terry takes a big step back. On the other hand, Pat and Tim are learning on the job, and the team is historically bad.

[nucci]

The thing is, nucci, these people are never around to admit they were wrong.

It's not so much about being wrong but there have been many changes over the last few years that gave us reason to be optimistic and there has been more disappointment. I'm hoping these latest moves turn this team around but I'm just not going to get all caught up in it just yet.

[tom webster]

 

 

No. Nor should you ask anyone who's not excited about the moves to be excited. There are good arguments on both sides. I am reasonably confident that a very solid management team is in place and that things will be looking up, especially if Terry takes a big step back. On the other hand, Pat and Tim are learning on the job, and the team is historically bad.

 

To me the biggest problem is that some insist on there being TWO sides. Things are rarely that black and white. While I don't agree with a lot of what certain posters believe, I found a lot of value in the opinions of people like yourself, Deluca, Drane et al.

[Assquatch]

No. Nor should you ask anyone who's not excited about the moves to be excited.

 

Of course not. This conversation started when someone implied the billboards were ridiculous as if no one should be excited because they weren't.

[PromoTheRobot]

It's certainly quite possible that I misinterpreted the OP. I guess I just don't see what incentive the NHL would have to rig the lottery to benefit the WNY market, since (i) it already gets great TV ratings in WNY and (ii) adding a great player to the Sabres is unlikely to juice NHL TV ratings in non-WNY markets (unlike, say, rigging the lottery to benefit, say, the Rangers -- where presumably both NYC and national ratings would benefit).

Or, say, the new Brooklyn Islanders?

[Two or less]

Well I mentioned at 12:35 today after listening to it on the radio that MacLean said the assistant GM would be a shocker and he knew who it was but wouldn't announce but it was an agent. I have no idea who this would be and as I stated earlier I couldn't tell if he was joking or not. I also laughed at the fact he's busting Tim's balls about not responding to his text with congrats and Tim says that's because a) I didn't want you to jinx it and b) you sent the text to Terry Murray!

 

Some insight from Garrioch on our new AGM-

 

The talk is Newport Sports agent Craig Oster, who has Ottawa D Erik Karlsson in his stable, is the leading contender to be named GM Tim Murray’s assistant in Buffalo. The two have a close relationship and Oster could be introduced soon...

 

Link- http://www.ottawasun.com/2014/01/11/toronto-maple-leafs-looking-for-help-up-front-could-be-willing-to-unload-a-defenceman

 

Oster's profile - http://www.thehockeyagency.com/agency-team-detail/8

[Eleven]

Would you PLEASE stop changing your name?! Hopefully this one sticks.

[Two or less]

Btw, Oster works for Newport Sports player agency, the one led by Meehan and Morris, who as i mentioned above, are very close to LaFontaine.

 

Would you PLEASE stop changing your name?! Hopefully this one sticks.

 

Sorry. Briere48 and Vanek-man last for a long time, though.

Edited January 12, 2014 by Loyalty

[Hoss]

Some insight from Garrioch on our new AGM-

 

 

Link- http://www.ottawasun...ad-a-defenceman

 

Oster's profile - http://www.thehockey...y-team-detail/8

 

Good stuff man. Would be interesting choice. Don't have anything to offer on him.

[darksabre]

And boom goes the dynamite.

[PASabreFan]

And boom goes the dynamite.

 

That's getting more than annoying.

[Two or less]

Sam Reinhart is also one of Oster's players which i find interesting.

[IKnowPhysics]

I get the impression that Tim Murray's strength is in player evaluation. Oster looks like a contract/CBA-oriented guy. Could be a good fit, and one that doesn't necessarily replace the functionality of Kevin Devine. There's no convenient list I was able to find, but I think a few teams have two AGM's, notably Boston (Jim Benning [player eval, trades, FAs] and Don Sweeney [player development]).

 

I think in keeping with the model of dumping money into the front office, there's no reason to drop Devine, unless it's a bad fit or an insurmountable personality or philosophy conflict.

[beerme1]

 

 

Some insight from Garrioch on our new AGM-

 

 

Link- http://www.ottawasun.com/2014/01/11/toronto-maple-leafs-looking-for-help-up-front-could-be-willing-to-unload-a-defenceman

 

Oster's profile - http://www.thehockeyagency.com/agency-team-detail/8

 

Interesting and weird to me. Thanks for the info.

[Huckleberry]

Don't think he'll dump devine so soon, hasn't even gotten to know him well enough, if he makes such a dick move then i don't want him as GM for this team.

[tom webster]

I get the impression that Tim Murray's strength is in player evaluation. Oster looks like a contract/CBA-oriented guy. Could be a good fit, and one that doesn't necessarily replace the functionality of Kevin Devine. There's no convenient list I was able to find, but I think a few teams have two AGM's, notably Boston (Jim Benning [player eval, trades, FAs] and Don Sweeney [player development]).

 

I think in keeping with the model of dumping money into the front office, there's no reason to drop Devine, unless it's a bad fit or an insurmountable personality or philosophy conflict.

 

A few teams have 3 or 4 assistant GM's.